It is sometimes desirable to hold the two halves of an electrical connector releasably to each other in their mated conditions, by means over and beyond the friction of pin against socket which is often relied upon, so that there is no chance of their accidental dislodgement, complete or partial, or relative motion due to vibration, gravity pull, accidental contact, or the like. This is particularly important where a first connector is mounted on a panel and mated with a second connector which has one or more other connectors mounted on its rear side, so that there is a distinct tendency for the second connector to loosen and perhaps ultimately fall out.
Mechanisms are known in which the pins of spring-mounted jaws, one on each side of one connector, can be manually pinched open and then allowed to close about a retaining catch on another connector of the same size, once the two connectors are fully mated. However, in some instances a pair of connectors are to be mated with each other which are of different sizes, e.g. a 68-position to 50-position adapter mated with a 50-position connector. Despite the difference in connector size, it is desirable to be able to assure that such connectors are securely and releasably held together by an appropriate mechanism. It is also sometimes desirable to secure one or more other connectors to the rear of one of the pair of connectors, while still retaining the ability to secure the original pair of connectors to each other. It has been found difficult to provide an appropriate latching system for assuring that the connectors will then remain mated as desired, and which is convenient and easy to use.
It is therefore a principal object of this invention to provide a new and advantageous mechanism for releasably latching together a pair of electrical connectors.